For Poly Prep football player from Staten Island, it's business on and off the field

Poly Prep defensive end Cameron Stapleton has accepted a full scholarship offer from the University of Connecticut.Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez

Cameron Stapleton takes a businesslike approach to football, which isn’t surprising considering the places he turns his focus off the field.

Stapleton is Poly Prep’s senior defensive end and tight end from Port Richmond. The combination of athletics and the school’s rigorous academic program ought to be enough to keep the calendar full for anybody. But in the spare time he could wrangle, Stapleton has spent the last few months taking classes to earn his real estate license, which he’ll test for at the end of the month.

It’s an interest he drew from his mother, Leslie, a real estate agent. For years Stapleton would tag along with his mom and help her out putting on open houses.

“I’m a real business guy because of my mom,” said Stapleton.

The football part also runs in the family. Craig Stapleton was a standout linebacker at Port Richmond in the mid-80s.

“So many people come up and say, ‘Your father was a monster,’” said Stapleton.

It didn’t take long for the mental and physical disciplines to merge. By the time Stapleton was 10 years old, it was apparent he had the potential for great achievement in the sport. And that’s when the business side came into play.

“That’s when it got serious,” said Stapleton. “It’s time to go. It’s time to get started. This could be the rest of your life.”

“At that point everything became more serious, especially with my father. He played football and his brothers played football and he’s really competitive. Before it was fun. Then it became a job in a way.”

Poly Prep's Cameron Stapleton is flanked by his parents, Leslie and Craig, at the school's homecoming game.Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez

So before he even gets that real estate license or pursues a business career, the first real investment of Stapleton’s life — in himself — is paying off. He’s accepted a full scholarship offer from the University of Connecticut and in February will sign his letter of intent.

Stapleton also received offers from Syracuse and Temple, but a range of factors made the Huskies his choice.

“I felt like UConn was the place to be,” said Stapleton. “They have three defensive ends leaving, four tight ends leaving. Those are both my positions. I have a chance to play. Also, the facilities are beautiful. I’ve never seen facilities like that in my life. And the people there, the hospitality is great, phenomenal. I would love to even live there if I could.”

“It felt like a family. It felt like the first day I walked in here to Poly Prep.”

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni is a former Syracuse head coach who — like current Orange head man Doug Marrone — recruited New York City and Staten Island heavily. Former St. Joseph by-the-Sea star Lyle McCombs is UConn’s top running back, though he was recruited by former coach Randy Edsall. But Pasqualoni was mostly familiar at first to Stapleton from his time in the NFL between college coaching jobs.

“I love that guy,” said Stapleton. “I love him. I’m a big Cowboys fan. A lot of people don’t like that because there’s a lot of Giants and Jets fans. But I’m a big Cowboys fan and he came down and coached my favorite Dallas Cowboys of all time. He’s a great guy. He’s a really good guy. He reminds me of coach (Dino) Mangiero.”

“They’re the same guy. The loving. They’re really in it for the kids and not just for the win, which I really appreciate.”

Opportunities await at UConn, but it’s still up in the air which side of the ball the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder will land on. As a tight end, Mangiero often had Stapleton split out as a wide receiver. But the former Curtis star and NFL defensive lineman thinks the D-Line is where Stapleton will end up.

“He’s still got a lot of growing to do,” said Mangiero. “He can put 30, 40 pounds on real easy, be a rush defensive end. I always thought that was his best position, defense. Very athletic kid. Runs well. And a very hard worker.”

Cameron Stapleton, seen here making a tackle, is following in his father Craig's footsteps on the footbal field, while his mom, Leslie, is teaching him about the world of real estate.Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez

The similarities Stapleton cites between Poly Prep and UConn make clear why the college stood out to him in the recruiting phase. He had his eye on Poly since he first set foot on the school’s campus as a sixth-grader practicing with the Hurricanes youth program.

It didn’t disappoint, even if there was a period of adjustment.

“In the beginning it was rough because the education is no joke,” said Stapleton. “Before Poly I had a 90 average, 95 average. I didn’t really study that much because it came naturally to me. I came here and my mom said, ‘You’re going to have to start studying. I said, ‘Whatever.’ It was, bang. I was just getting hit with bad grade after bad grade.

“I can say it did shape me into a better young man. The challenges I went through here are going to be one of the toughest challenges I’m going to face the rest of my life. Because getting through this .. you get through Poly Prep, you’re good. It was really hard in the beginning but it’s paying off. I know it’s paying off.”